Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean — about halfway between Hawaii and Australia — the expanded monument would protect a treasure trove of unique and irreplaceable natural resources including:

Almost 250 seamounts, or undersea mountains — the majority of which are unexplored.

An estimated 14 million seabirds representing 19 species that use these areas as feeding and breeding grounds, including the endangered black-footed albatross and Phoenix petrel.

Important habitat for protected species of sea turtles and marine mammals, some of which are critically endangered, like leatherback and green sea turtles, and the sei whale and blue whale.

Remarkably rich coral ecosystems, with corals up to 5,000 years old.

In the United States, more than 13 percent of our land has been reserved as protected parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas, but the same level of care has yet to be given to our ocean, where only about 3 percent is protected. Our leadership in California resulted in protecting 16 percent of state waters, but there is still work to be done elsewhere.

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Samantha Murray is the Director of our Pacific Program. Samantha has a deep love for our global ocean and enjoys visiting it in its many forms, from the Sulu Sea to the Black Sea. For now, though, Samantha spends much of her free time reading children’s books about marine wildlife.